In a city brimming with earthly delights, one’s thoughts turn to finding a little
romance before Carnaval ends.
By Brazzil Magazine
Plays,
movies &
best-seller books
PLAYS
Rio
Graal: Retrato de um Fausto Quando Jovem (Graal:
Portrait of Faust as a Young Man)—Written by avant-gardist poet Haroldo
de Campos and directed by controversial Gerald Thomas. A mix of discursive
and poetic language. Faust is a poet dealing with Mephistopheles. With
Bete Coelho.
Salve Amizade (Hello, Buddy)—A good-humored portrait of
the forty-something generation. Two women decide to rekindle their adolescent
passions just to find out how time has been cruel to their former leading
men. Written and directed by Flávio Marinho. With Louise Cardoso,
Cristina Pereira, Marcelo Saback, Paulo César Grande and Alice Borges.
Um Bonde Chamado Desejo (A Streetcar Named Desire)—The
1947 Tennessee Williams’s play about fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois,
her rape and end at a mental institution. Directed by Kiko Jaez, with Roberto
Bomtempo and Flávia Pucci.
São Paulo
Anchieta, Nossa História (Anchieta, Our History)—A
celebration of the so-called Apostle of Brazil, Jesuit priest José
de Anchieta, on the 400th anniversary of his death. By Alzira Andrade and
Alceste Madella. Directed by Denise del Vecchio. With Daniela de Vecchi
and Klever Dey Ravanelli.
O Princípio do Avesso—Dom Casmurro (The Opposite
Principle—Mr. Peevish)—Based on Machado de Assis’s (1839-1908) classic
novel Dom Casmurro (1900). In a new twist, it starts with Bentinho
suspecting his wife’s (Capitu) fidelity and ends up with their first kiss.
Written by Marici Salomão. Directed by Antônio do Valle. With
Vicentini Gomes.
Prova de Fogo (Trial by Fire)—The story of the 1968 invasion
of University of São Paulo’s Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências
e Letras by the police, during the military dictatorship. By Consuelo de
Castro, directed by Abílio Tavares, with Alexandre Lima, Álvaro
Franco and Marinê Pereira.
Tudo Blue no Mercosul (All’s Blue on Mercosul)—In a vaudeville-style
of theater, the play has some two dozen sketches peppered with music, dance
and humor. Written by Sebastião Apolônio and Márcia
Polachini. Directed by Sebastião Apolônio. With Maria Alcina
and Alfred Estrella. Directed by Sebastião Apolônio.
MOVIES
American films just released: Night Falls on Manhattan (Sombras
da Lei), Contact (Contato), My Best Friend’s Wedding (O Casamento de Meu
Melhor Amigo), Shadow Conspiracy (Conspiração), Father’s
Day (1 Dia 2 Pais), Anna Karenina (Anna Karenina), Air Force One (Força
Aérea Um), Gridlock’d (Gridlock’d, na Contra Mão), When We
Were Kings (Quando Éramos Reis), Down By Law (Daunbailó)
re-released, Stranger than Paraside (Estranhos no Paraíso) re-released.
Baile Perfumado (Fragrant Ball) — Brazil — 1996 — Directed
by first time directors Paulo Caldas, 33, from Paraíba state and
Lírio Ferreira, 32, from Pernambuco. The story of Lebanese Benjamin
Abrahão, the only person who in the ’30s was able to film bandit
Lampião and his band. With Cláudio Mamberti (Benjamin), Luís
Carlos Vasconcelos (Lampião), and Jofre Soares (Padre Cícero).
Ed Mort — Brazil — 1996 — Private eye Ed Mort (his name
plays with the word morte, death in Portuguese) is hired by a suspicious
wife to locate her husband — a master of disguise — when he disappears.
Based on the comical characters created by writer Luís Fernando
Veríssimo. Direct by Alain Fresnot. With Paulo Betti, Cláudia
Abreu, Irene Ravache and Otávio Augusto.
Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (Paixão Selvagem) — France
— 1976 — Directed by Serge Gainsbourg with Jane Birkin and Joe Dalessandro.
Homosexual truckdriver falls in love with a young waitress.
A Ostra e o Vento (The Oyster and the Wind) — Brazil—
1996 — Film was shown at recent Venice Film Festival. The fantasies of
a girl who lives with her father in an island after she hears about a sailor’s
adventures. Directed by Walter Lima Jr. with Leandra Leal and Fernando
Torres.
O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (What’s That, Pal?)
— Brazil — 1996 — The story of the young guerrillas from the ALN (Ação
Libertadora Nacional) and MR-8 (Movimento Revolucionário) who on
September 4, 1969 kidnapped Charles Elbrick, the American ambassador in
Brazil exchanging him for 15 political prisoners. Loosely based on Fernando
Gabeira’s book of same name. Directed by Bruno Barreto. With Alan Arkin,
Pedro Cardoso, Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, and Fernanda Montenegro.
O Velho: A História de Luiz Carlos Prestes (The
Old Man: The Luiz Carlos Prestes’s Story) — Brazil — 1995 — Documentary
based on a 1985 interview given by the founder of PCB (Partido Comunista
Brasileiro—Brazilian Communist Party), Luiz Carlos Prestes (1898-1990).
By Toni Venturi, narrated by actor Paulo José.
BOOKS
Fiction
1. O Sócio
John Grisham
2. Meu Anjo
Fausto Oliveira
3. O Livro das Virtudes para Crianças
William J. Bennett
4. Asterix—A Galera de Obelix
Goscinny & Uderzo
5. Ícone
Frederick Forsyth
6. Sanduíches de Realidade
Arnaldo Jabor
7. Do meio do Mundo Prostituto…
and Histórias de Amor
Rubem Fonseca
8. Diário de um Magro
Mário Prata
9. 3001: A Odisséia Final
Arthur C. Clarke
10. Conversando Contigo
Zíbia Gasparetto
Nonfiction
1. Cazuza—Só as Mães São Felizes
Lucinha Araújo
2. 203 Maneiras de Enlouquecer um Homem na Cama
Olivia St. Claire
3. As Receitas Preferidas de Ana Maria Braga
Ana Maria Braga
4. Inteligência Emocional
Daniel Goldman
5. O Princípio Dilbert
Scott Adams
6. A Dança do Universo
Marcelo Gleiser
7. Minutos de Sabedoria Simples
C. Torres Pastorino
8. O Sucesso É Ser Feliz
Roberto Shiniashiki
9. Inteligência Emocional: A Arte de Educar Seus Filhos
John Gottman
10. As Sete Leis Espirituais do Sucesso
Deepak Chopra
According to daily newspaper Jornal da
Tarde
